Men in Black (1997)

Barry Sonnenfeld (The Addams Family) brings his dark humour and imaginative stylings to this lively adaptation of Lowell Cunningham’s comic book series. Will Smith stars as JD Edwards, an athletic New York City cop with an attitude problem. After pursuing a mysterious perp, who turns out to be an alien, J is recruited by K (Tommy Lee Jones), a secret agent responsible for keeping New York City’s vast population of extra terrestrials in line. Nicknamed the Men in Black, these agents are on a mission to recover a very important item from an intergalactic terrorist. So, after plenty of wise-cracking jokes and some much-needed convincing, J teams up with K to fight an interstellar war that threatens the safety of planet Earth. It all sounds pretty serious, but the comedy duo of Jones and Smith paired with some wacky characters moving to an upbeat soundtrack made this unique buddy comedy a smash at the theatres. There isn’t much depth of course, but there’s so much wacky enthusiasm and outrageous FX that the film retains the ability to amuse you years after its release – * * * *